For me the biggest issue with the kit was the tires. They lacked tread and were way too big. Also, the shape of the nose of the real car tapers and slants downward more than the one on the kit. That was less of an issue, but still noticeable to me.

But, it all depends on the level of detail you're after. If this stuff doesn't bother you, then you should build it straight from the box. Phil showed with his builds that they can be perfectly presentable without any aftermarket stuff.

I thought the Lotus was a pretty good kit, especially for its age. It went together well for me, but be sure to test fit the location of the engine. The whole rear suspension depends on it being positioned correctly.

Good Luck with your builds and have fun. Be sure to post pictures of the finished models.

Tom, my only experience is with the Lotus 29. My strongest recommendation would be to look into the IndyCals detail set for the car (http://www.indycals.net/parts/indyparts/63lotus29upgrade.html). It costs $38 + S&H but you get new tires, a corrected nose, a vacuform windshield, and new decals. Here's a pic of my Lotus just so you can see the difference.

Tom, the kit isn't hard to build, but just lacks a lot of detail. If I had to use the kit tires, I wouldn't have built it - they're that bad. There are lots of chrome plated parts that need to be stripped and pained with the correct metallic colors. The engine placement is a little vague, so make sure you do a lot of test fitting because where the engine sits determines where the rear suspension ends up. The rear springs look pretty bad so I made some new ones from aluminum wire. Don't bother with the front ones because they're inside the front bodywork. If you can find a replacement for the seat, you may want to use it. The one in the kit is pretty weak. I had an extra one from the Olsonite Eagle kit and used that one.

I don't have any connection with IndyCals, but if you want to build this kit, I'd consider getting their detail set. The parts are well done and the decals are a huge improvement over the ones in the kit.

Gene, the exhaust headers are just the kit parts painted with Metalizer (Titanium, I think). The tires are part of the IndyCals transkit and are a huge improvement over the kit tires. They come in white resin and the ones on this model are painted in Tamiya gloss black acrylic, decaled, and sprayed with satin acrylic.

Thanks for clarifying the heritage on the kit, Art. I knew AMT was involved, but didn't know at what point.

This is the old 1/25 MPC Lotus 29 from the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame 3-kit set. It represents Jimmy Clark's Second Place finisher in the 1963 Indy 500.

I detailed the engine and cockpit, and added the IndyCals resin corrected nose, windscreen, and tires. Paint is Tamiya Racing Green decanted and airbrushed with IndyCals decals.

There are some things I'm still not happy with. The rear engine cover does not fit well and the injector stacks are a bit too tall. If I ever find some better intakes, I'l switch them out and try to fix the engine cover at the same time. For now, though, I'm calling it done!